It is well known in the art to take a sample from a discharge or other pipeline or from a storage, reaction, or other vessel, and discharge said sample into a sample container, such as a graduated cylinder, beaker or other measured container. However, when working with hazardous fluids, such as those with a high or low pH or high temperature or pressure, the sampling process may pose a hazard to the operator obtaining the sample. Operators frequently must don safety equipment to collect a sample, and may get some of the fluid to be sampled on exposed skin in spite of this. Sometimes liquid will splash out, or the sample container gets overfilled, causing excess liquid to run out of the sample holder and possibly onto the operator. Oftentimes, excess liquid will spill onto the surrounding area, causing a slip hazard or, in multi-level manufacturing facilities, especially chemical manufacturing facilities, which may be floored with only grating, endangering those working below. This invention should eliminate many of those hazards by piping the container to be sampled directly to the sample station, having an enclosed and vented receptacle for collecting the sample, and allowing the sample station discharge to be piped directly to a drain or a sump, from which it can be pumped back into the original container.
In many applications, it is desirable to visually inspect the fluid prior to sampling, for example to ensure that the fluid to be sampled is well-mixed, and many of the samplers currently known in the art do not have this capability. Additionally, some fluids may separate or are otherwise not always ready to be sampled. The liquid sample station with its transparent or translucent sample receptacle and flow through design overcomes both these problems.